Share: mail

The Associated Students held an event Tuesday at Harbeson Hall to recognize the Armenian Genocide, which will be commemorated today along with a demonstration in front of the Turkish consulate in Los Angeles.The event was put together by Vice President for Cultural Diversity Vanessa Quiroz. It featured guest speakers Aida Dimejian, board member of the Armenian National Committee of America, and Ishkhan Boghossian, Pasadena chairman of the Armenian Youth Federation.

“I grew up in Pasadena, and there are many Armenians here. They are the ones that exposed me to the genocide. I feel that it is something that should be acknowledged and not forgotten,” said Quiroz.

According to Dimejian, the Armenian Genocide of 1915 resulted in 1.5 million deaths at the hands of the Ottoman Turkish government, and still the Turkish government denies this crime against humanity. She went on to give a brief summary of the events that unfolded during that time period.

Dimejian said that, “A lot of countries have murky pasts. If Turkey wants to be a free and democratic nation, then they should recognize the Armenian genocide.”

According to Dimejian, 40 U.S. states have acknowledged the Armenian Genocide, but the U.S. as a nation has not recognized the genocide.

“It is up to us to get rid of all genocides,” said Boghssian while being unwavering for the Armenian cause. According to Boghssian, the AYF is an Armenian youth movement founded in Boston in 1933 by General Karekin Njdeh. It serves as the youth organization of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF). The five pillars that guide its activities are: Educational, Political, Social, Athletic, and Cultural.

Business major Werner Hanneman was really impressed by the featured speaker. “Aida did great work, I probably learned more in those 25 minutes than I could if I spent three hours on Google,” he said.

Adam Kratt, supporting A.S. member and religious studies major shared the same sentiment. “I think the recognition of the Armenian Genocide or of any people is an important event. It promotes the need for all governments to recognize the atrocities that have been perpetuated,” Kratt said.

The demonstration will be in front of the Turkish consulate today at 4 p.m. For more information go to ayfwest.org.

Follow: rssyoutubeinstagrammail

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.